Nan's Journey (5 page)

Chapter 7

Nan awoke the next m
orning in puzzlement.
Elmer
snuggled next
to her in a real bed. It was s
oft and warm.
She could barely remember what it felt like to be so
fresh and
clean. She gazed at Elmer as he slept. He
looked
good! He had been
tired for so long and now he truly looked relaxed. Nan smiled as she thought of the nice couple
who
had fed them and let them sleep in this wonderful bed.

A cloud slipped over Nan’s face as she remembered she had seen Mr. Dewey walking around in thi
s very town! She
attempted to
must
er
up
strength
enough
to get out of bed, but found weakness holding her down. She would have to speak to Elmer about what they had to do next. As long as they stayed inside they would be all right. She would rest and let Elmer rest too
,
and in a day or two they would be strong enough to leave.

She let her imagination go as she thought of having a home like this to live in forever, but it couldn’t be. Mr. Dewey was here. They had to leave. The Youngs would never stand for them just leaving, so they must run away, again.
Martha stood in the door and watched Nan as she
laid
thinking in her bed.
Poor child! The pain some people inflict on mere children.
Martha noticed the nervous look on Nan’s face. She knew Nan didn’t feel safe from her stepmother yet
, and
s
he knew Nan would need to leave before too long.

With this in mind Martha went to the breakfast table to talk with Nate as he took breakfast. Nate was enj
oying his bacon and pancakes. He gulped a swallow of
hot coffee when Martha approached him with a question,
“
Nate, can you think of any place those children could go where they could feel safe?”

What is wrong with here?”
Nate asked.

“Nan doesn’t feel safe here?”

“How would you know that?”
h
e
asked,
puzzled.

“Just a look I saw on her face.”

“We'll, just tell her she’s ok
ay
here.”

“No, we don’t want them running away agai
n…
landing who knows where. We need to think of something.”
Martha began to wring her hands.

“It is too bad Fred isn’t here to think of something, Mama”

“Fred! You know that is a great idea!”

“What?
Nate asked.

“We can send them to his house!”

“Do you think that would be wise?”
Nate’s eyebrows shot up.

“Why not, who would think of looking for them at Fred’s house?”

“You mean cabin?”
He rubbed the stubble on his chin.

“Yes, cabin, but he lives in the wilderness and no one would look there.”
Martha said with satisfaction.

“
Let’s
tell the children.
” Nate said.

*****

Nan could hardly believe her ears that Martha and Nate understood she and Elmer couldn’t stay here even without her saying anything. What’s more, Nate was taking them to their son’s hous
e
in the wilderness of Colorado, a
mountain
place close to the mining town of Silverton. Mrs. Dewey would never look for them there.

After t
wo weeks of rest
,
Nate bundled the
two up and placed them on a couple of pack
mules loaded down with supplies. There was enough
to see them through the winter. Nan
and Elmer were quite strong now; i
t had been ten days since Elmer’s last headache. It had been a long time since Nan had felt so we
ll
cared for
, and
t
ears flowed
down her cheeks
as she told Martha goodbye. Martha promised her that Fred would bring them back for a visit someday or that she would come see them in the spring.

The landscape was beautiful as well as treacherous, but with Nate’s skillful maneuvering they arr
ived at the cabin in a week
.
Fred stepped out of his cabin as Rufus, his husky, barked an alarm.

“Hey Rufus, its Grandpa, don’t be hollering at me!” laughed Nate.

“Pa
, what are you doing here!” cried Fred.

“I brought you some supplies and company for the winter.” The grin on Nate’s face faded as he saw the pained expression on his son’s face.

“Pa, what were you thinking? This ain’t a place for younguns!”

“Son, these little soldiers need a safe place to hide for a spell.”

“What have you gotten me into?”
Fred asked.

Nan
heard the exchange and fear gripped he
r. She hadn’t thought Fred
might
be different than Nate and Martha.
Why hadn’t they just run off on their own?
She held her head high and spoke quietly and with authority. “If we are not welcome, we surely shall not be staying. We can fend for ourselves.”

Nate watched his son as Nan spoke to him. “Boy, I don’t know you, but if you and the youngun over their need to winter here, you can.”

“Fred, she’s a little girl, not a boy, it is a disguise she came up with,” said Nate.

Fred blushed and asked, “Pa, how do you expect me to take care of a girl and a little boy when I couldn’t even take care of my own?”

“You have been blaming yourself too
long;
you need these kids as much as they need you.”

“Pa, do you think any girl can survive the winters here?”
Fred asked.

“Freddy, all I know is that if Nan gets discovered by her stepmother, she wouldn’t survive another beating like the last one.”

“Beating? No!  I’m sorry!”

“It isn’t your problem, mister. I can take care of my brother and myself!”

“Nan, you can stay here
,
” Fred said firmly.

“We will earn our keep and not be a burden to you then.”

“Sounds fair to me, son
,
”
s
aid Nate.

“I was fixing beans and cornbread. There is plenty
…
” Fred’s voice trailed off.

“Let’s eat!” cried Elmer who as of yet had said nothing.

The beans were delicious! As Nan spooned some of the bean broth between her lips she looked around the room. It was a rough log cabin. It was much rougher than her girlhood home, but there was a cozy quality to the room. The meal had been prepared in the huge fireplace. Fred had two Dutch ovens placed in the coals. One was for the beans
,
and the other for cornbread. The packs from the mules stood in the far corner. Nan’s eyes traveled around the room. Fred had a huge featherbed.
Imagine that!
At the foot of the bed, piled with blankets and clothing and other supplies, was a small trundle bed. It was odd for a mountain man to have a feather bed and then odder still for him to have this other bed
,
too. Fred saw her looking around and studying the room with a questioning look.

“That bed belonged to my little girl, Joy. She and my wife
,
Claire, died with influenza last winter.”

“Oh,” was all
Nan could s
ay.
That explained a lot.

“Fred, let me help you put away the supplies now and then
we should all
get to bed. I’ll be going home at first light.”

*****

Nan and Elmer watched the horizon until the last traces of their friend Nate had disapp
eared. He and Martha
were
good to
them.
F
inally they were safe
from “
Ma”. As they turned and faced the crude cabin, Nan couldn’t help but wonder about the man that they were “wintering” with and how they would fare under his care. She did not want charity, but she was smart enough to know that there was no way that she and Elmer could earn their keep. She resolved to do what she could. Entering the room she saw a bucket next to the door and grabbed it, telling Elmer that she was going to the creek for water to do the breakfast dishes.

She spied the creek and placed the bucket on edge to fill with the clear sparkling liquid. Taking a deep breath, the clear crisp air filled her lungs and renewed her energy. Cardinals were in the spruce tree making a nest. The sun was almost all the way up
,
and she loved the way the golden rays felt on her face. Maybe this place would be a good home after all.

She lifted the bucket and carried it up to the cabin door. Fred saw her carrying the water trying not to slosh it as she walked. She had such a serious determined look about her that h
e couldn’t help but be amused. It was evident that s
he was trying to work f
or their keep
.
A young child like that shouldn’t have those kinds of worries
. Fred smiled at her as he took the bucket. “What were you planning on doing today
,
little traveler? I do hope that you weren’t planning on working on such a glorious day as this one promises to be.”

“There are dishes to do!”

“Yes there are, but I will do them this time. You guys get some dinner things together and we will go fishing and have a picnic by the fishin’ hole.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that it is time you kids learned to have some fun.”

Chapter 8

The trout were delicious prepared over the open fire. They
ate until they could hardly move
. Nan enjoyed seeing the excitement and pleasure play across Elmer’s face each time he caught a fish. His eyes were bright and the shine had come into his hair. He had put on some much needed weight.

Nan leaned her back against a big aspen tree and realized that she could do so with no pain. The wounds were healed. She no longer ached in her joints and the bruises were gone. A pink glow had found her cheeks and she looked the picture of healthy girlhood.

The fishin’ hole had become a dinnertime ritual in the weeks they had been with Fred. Fred was looking more peaceful and happy himself. They made a perfect little family.

Everyone had been working hard preparing for winter. Fred cut wood while Nan and Elmer stacked it close to the cabin
—i
t would take a lot of firewood to get through the winter storms. Nate and Martha sent more than adequate provisions
,
and Fred was grateful they had so that he could have time to bring a little happiness into the lives of the children.

He educated them in the laws of the wilderness: tracking game, fishing, hunting and preserving the meat. All the meat was smoked and dried in the fashion of the nearby Indians. He showed them healing herbs and poisonous plants and how to care for their animals.

They had a pack mule named Ruby
,
and then there was Rufus the dog, and the mustang stallion, Sonny. Fred was amazed at how quickly they learned. He discovered that they had very little formal schooling, so he promised them that in the winter months
,
he would teach them how to read and write and do sums.

He decided that it was good for him to move past the pain of losing his wife and child to help these children with getting past their pain.

*****

Nan’s favorite place was the stream. As she sat there, she knew that she had never been as safe
and happy since her parents
died. The sound of the water splashing against the rocks and the lush meadow toward the cabin spoke to her of peace. She knew that Elmer was happy too. Happiness was such a wonderful emotion. Fear, torment and anger all seemed so far away. Fred was kind like his Ma and Pa. He hadn’t laid a strap to them yet. Of course, they were careful to mind him. He was human, and humans get angry and hurt those who aggravate them. Nan knew this well. She also knew that if he started in on them that they would just move on, after
winter.

The days were short and the sun was slipping behind the mountain peak. Nan shivered as she hurried down the path to the cabin. Inside, she smelled the welcome aroma of beans and cornbread. She had learned how to put the beans on to cook in the morning so that by supper they would be ready. Fred had cooked the cornbread. Nan was still amazed that a man would actually put his hand to cooking, but she guessed Fred was used to fending for himself and wanted the cornbread to be done so they could eat sooner.